A Year at Best
by sailorpegasus
Summary: This a romantic Snake/Otacon fanfiction. It follows their relationship from the events after MGS1 to the events after MGS4. This story will contain many spoilers, so read at your own risk. I do not own Metal Gear. Metal Gear and all of its content and characters belong to Hideo Kojima and Konami.
1. Chapter 1 - An Embarrassing Discovery

It first happened in 2006.

It had been a little over a year since Otacon had been rescued by Snake, and they had been hard at work building up Philanthropy. They had no reliable leads so far, so most of their days had been routine and monotonous. For Otacon, it was wake up, make breakfast, check with his sources, read through and compile information from hundreds of files, watch anime on his second monitor, discuss what information he found with Snake, and then watch television with Snake until bedtime. For Snake, it was wake up, workout, eat breakfast with Otacon, workout again, discuss the gathered information with Otacon, and then watch television with him until bedtime.

But one evening, a strange moment broke through the monotony. Snake had gone out to pick up some groceries, and Otacon used that as an excuse to watch anime without his headphones. He thought for a moment which one, and then he realized that he had a perfect opportunity to watch one his favorite shounen-ai animes. He didn't really watch the super erotic kind, but he was still too embarrassed to watch any of it with Snake in the house. He was afraid it would creep Snake out. He pulled a good one out of his anime folder and let it play, sitting back. He watched for a while when he realized he had gotten to a particularly steamy moment in an episode. It was the episode where the main character's love interest would confess that he had actually developed feelings for him. Otacon paused it and called out for Snake, just to make sure he wasn't in the house. There was no answer, so Otacon continued to play it.

_Makoto-kun…_

_S-senpai?_

_You must understand, this is a difficult thing for me to say._

_Y-you can take your time…_

_Makoto, I have noticed you since first year._

_Well, we have had every class together since then…_

_Yes, we have. And honestly, I've always found you attractive._

_Oh? R-really?_

_Yes, Makoto. You're a very handsome boy._

_Thank you, Daisuke-senpai…_

_Please, just call me Daisuke, Makoto._

_Daisuke…_

_Makoto, what I'm really trying to say is…_

_Yes?_

_I'm in love with you._

_L-l-love?! W-with me?!_

_Yes Makoto. I have been since we spent that night at the beach last summer. Ever since then, I can't imagine my life without you. I have to be with you, Makoto. I have to have you._

_D-daisuke… I-I feel the same way…_

_Ohh, you're so cute when you stutter, Makoto._

The two characters began to kiss, and Otacon sighed, resting his face on his hand.

"I sure wish high school had been this blissfully romantic for me," he muttered, sighing again.

"Whatcha watching, Otacon?" Snake said from behind. Otacon screamed and, panicking, immediately closed the anime. Snake began to laugh.

"I didn't know you watched anime porn," he said. Otacon scrambled to pick up his glasses, which had fallen.

"It wasn't porn, Snake! It was shounen-ai, which is just innocent romance between two boys!" he yelled.

"Oh relax, relax, I'm just kidding with you," Snake said, patting him on the back.

"Well it wasn't funny, Snake," he said, blushing.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I don't really know why you're so embarrassed about it though, it's just a show," Snake replied. Otacon cleared his throat.

"I don't know, I just thought this sort of thing would make you uncomfortable, so I never watched it when you were in the house," he muttered. Snake threw his hands up and shrugged.

"I don't care who kisses who. To each their own," he said. Otacon sighed.

"Well, alright then. Just don't scare me like that again!" he said.

"Otacon, are you okay?" Snake asked. Otacon was clearly very flustered, and his light blush had turned into a very deep red.

"I'm fine, I just don't like to be scared like that," he said, crossing his arms. Snake shrugged.

"Alright, I'm sorry," he said. Otacon shook his head.

"Oh, it's fine, I'm already over it," he replied.

"Alright then. So, did you find anything good leads today?" he asked, changing the subject.

Later that evening, the two were watching a mildly entertaining sitcom on the TV, as they always did. A boring commercial was playing when Snake turned down the volume.

"Otacon, I gotta ask," he said, turning towards him, "When you said you wish high school had been as romantic as that show, did you mean… you wish you had had a boyfriend?" Otacon sighed loudly.

"Ahh, well, I didn't really know if I was attracted to boys or girls, and to be honest, I still don't really know. I mean, women are beautiful, and I like them as much as any other guy, but men can be just as attractive. I've yet to really find a man that I've been attracted to enough to want to date them, though. I don't know…" he said, trailing off. Snake chuckled.

"I can understand that. I'm about the same way," he replied, putting his hands behind his head.

"Wait, so you don't know if you're attracted to men or women?" Otacon asked, surprised.

"Nope," Snake replied, "I just don't care."

They then watched TV in silence as Otacon turned the conversation over in his mind. He didn't realize Snake was so casual about sexuality, and he wondered what implications that held for the both of them. They had, essentially, declared that they were both open to dating men, and well, they were both men. Otacon wondered if this is what living with a girl who wasn't your girlfriend was like. But then again, he didn't have anything that remotely resembled a crush on Snake, and he knew there was no way Snake had a crush on him. Nobody had ever had a crush on Hal Emmerich.


	2. Chapter 2 - An Educational Breakfast

Over the next week, Otacon found himself increasingly curious about Snake. As he got up and showered one morning, he wondered what else he didn't know about him. Him saying that he was open to dating men wasn't really a big deal, but still, isn't that sort of something you should tell a guy you're going to be living with? Of course, he didn't actually use the words "open to dating men", he just said he didn't care about dating men. Well, he just said he didn't care at all. And maybe that just meant he wasn't interested in dating. Or did it mean he didn't really give any thought to gender when it came to dating? But wasn't gender a pretty big factor in dating? Wasn't it an important factor in finding someone to marry and have children with? Then again, having kids wasn't just a male-and-female thing nowadays. You could adopt them, you could find a surrogate, and, apparently, you could create clones. Otacon suddenly shook his head. Why was he looking into this so deeply? He never pictured himself having a family to begin with, and even if he did, was he going to have a family with _Snake?_ No way. So why did it even cross his mind? Otacon became rather bothered thinking about it. Most of all, he was bothered by the fact that he was bothered.

Snake had not forgotten about the conversation either. He certainly hadn't forgotten catching Otacon watching that anime. It was funny to watch him squirm, even if he was pretty embarrassed about it. He didn't realize Otacon was such a sucker for romance. I mean, he remembered what happened between him and Sniper Wolf, but that sounded more like Stockholm's Syndrome than romance to him. He began to wonder if Otacon's indecision about his sexuality was part of some sort of problem he'd had with love before. Not that it mattered to him, of course. Sexuality had never mattered to Snake. He was attracted to pretty much anybody, and didn't choose to spend the time or the energy to sit down and try to define who and what he liked. Plus, he'd probably been on about five dates his whole life, at least two of them with Meryl, and he didn't even think of her that way (even though she did have a great butt). He'd also only ever dated girls, though he had had a few crushes on guys before. As he began doing pull-ups, he wondered if Otacon's adolescence was as dateless as he made it sound. To be honest, Snake wouldn't have been surprised. Otacon was a great friend and a good man, but he was also an awkward, clumsy otaku. Poor kid probably wasn't very attractive in those days either. Not that Otacon was that incredibly attractive now, but you could tell getting through puberty did him some favors. Sure, the way he dressed left much to be desired, but it seemed to suit him. He had pretty good hair, and though he didn't always shave consistently, his facial hair grew evenly enough to look nice. Plus his skin and his lips looked pretty smooth, something you'd expect from someone who doesn't go outside. And his eyes were a nice color. Blue is a nice color.

"Hey, Snake, are you actually gonna do some pull ups on that bar or are you just gonna hold it all day?" Otacon asked, walking by.

"Huh?" Snake mumbled. He suddenly realized that he'd been standing still the whole time, hanging on to the bar instead of completing his pull-ups. He laughed.

"Oh, haha. Just got lost in thought, I guess" he said. Otacon took a sip of coffee.

"Oh yeah? About what?" he asked. Snake blushed a little and cleared his throat.

"Oh, you know, that thing that happened on the news. That… earthquake in the Gulf of Mexico," he said, quickly remembering an article he saw on Yahoo. Otacon shrugged.

"What about it?" he asked, confused. Snake cleared his throat again.

"Well, just how uncommon it is to have and earthquake in the Southeast. And did you know it was the strongest earthquake they'd had in 33 years?" he said matter-of-factly, remembering more and more of what he read. Otacon raised his eyebrows.

"Hm. That is pretty interesting. I didn't know that," he said, "Well, if you're done, I'm about to make breakfast. Do you want sausage or bacon this time? I'm kind of feeling like sausage today, but what do you want?"

"Um, sausage is fine," he said. Otacon nodded and headed for the kitchen. Snake stood there, wondering why he got so distracted. Well, he was analyzing Otacon's looks. Analyzing is distracting. He was just analyzing.

As Otacon began cooking, he listened to the water run from the shower. The same noise he heard every morning as he made breakfast. He'd become very comfortable with their daily routine, even though the lack of leads was discouraging. Philanthropy wasn't a lost cause, they just didn't have anything very useful yet. Most warmongers had learned their lesson after Shadow Moses, but that didn't mean world powers weren't still scrambling for Metal Gear prototypes. All of his sources concluded that everyone wanted them, but nothing could confirm _exactly_ who or what or where or when. You just don't release something like Metal Gear into the media and not have people scramble for it. But whoever did want them was being extremely careful about getting their hands on them. But Otacon was sure they'd find something soon. At least they were able to pay the bills with Snake's occasional mercenary work. And, lucky for them, they could charge for Otacon's work as well.

As he was finishing cooking the sausage, he noticed Snake had been in the shower for an awful long time. Maybe he was just really tired. They did stay up pretty late last night playing Splinter Cell. Yeah, maybe that was it. Otacon cracked several eggs and began to fry them. He really wasn't that great at cooking eggs, but Snake was even worse. He wished Snake didn't hate scrambled eggs so much, they were so much easier to make. That's what Otacon grew up with, so that's what he was best at. He was getting better at sunny-side-up eggs, though, so it wasn't so bad.

By the time he was finished making the eggs, the shower was still going. It was ridiculous. What the hell was keeping him? Did he fall asleep? That _has_ happened before. Otacon was about to march upstairs to knock on the bathroom door when the water shut off. Relieved, he fixed both of their plates and sat down to eat.

"Hey," Snake said casually as he walked into the kitchen. Otacon looked up from the newspaper on the table.

"Fall asleep in the shower again?" he joked. Snake laughed and grabbed a coffee mug.

"Nah, just kinda out of it today. Can't seem to think clearly," he said, pouring himself a cup of coffee. Otacon shrugged as Snake sat down with him.

"Why don't you take the day off?" he suggested.

"Take the day off?" Snake said. Otacon shrugged again.

"Why not? You could just go out and clear your mind for a while. Just like I need to get away from the computer sometimes when I'm bogged down with too many files," he replied. Snake thought about it.

"Why don't you take the day off instead? You work harder than I do. You go through all that information and stare at that screen all day. I just work out and train," he said. Otacon laughed.

"What? Me? A day off? I don't think so. I've got a lot of work to do. Besides, you know I don't like to go outside," he said, pushing up his glasses. Snake shoved a piece of sausage in his mouth.

"But Otacon," he said, talking with his mouth full, "I get out all the time. You should get out this time. You should call Mei Ling and see what she's up to." Otacon furrowed his eyebrows.

"Ugh, you could wait until you're done chewing to talk," he said. Snake rolled his eyes and swallowed.

"Whatever. Sorry. Seriously, Otacon, go call Mei Ling and go see a movie or something," he said.

"What, like a date?" Otacon replied, blushing.

"Well, I don't know, maybe. Do you like her that way?" Snake asked, munching on a piece of toast. Otacon giggled and took off his glasses to clean them off.

"Oh, um, I don't think so. She is very cute, but I mostly just like her because she likes anime almost as much as I do. That, and she scrapes all that equipment for us. But if I ask her to hang out, won't she interpret that as a date?" he asked, lifting up his glasses to check them. Snake smirked.

"No offense, Otacon, but I don't think she's going to assume _you're_ asking her out," he said, taking a sip of coffee. Otacon scoffed, offended.

"Wow, Snake, that's low," Otacon replied, "I'll have you know I've been on a date before."

"_A _date? Just one?" Snake said, laughing.

"Oh shut up, you know what I mean! I've been on… a few dates before. With girls. _Pretty_ girls," he said, "and one boy, kind of." Snake blinked, his eyes widening.

"A boy? 'Kind of'? But the other day you said you hadn't found a boy you'd want to date," he asked. Otacon sighed.

"Ugh, I shouldn't have said anything," he said, putting his face in his hand.

"I didn't to upset you, I'm just curious," Snake said, "Tell me about these dates. The ones you remember." Otacon threw his hands up and sighed again.

"Ugh, but they're all disasters," he said, "My first date was awful. She gave me my first kiss at the end and I got so nervous I wet myself." Snake was about to take a sip of coffee, but he paused when it touched his lips. He stared at Otacon.

"Oh. That… that is a disaster," he said. Otacon put his head on the table.

"And they really only get worse from there," he mumbled. Snake really felt bad for him, but he also was trying really hard not to laugh.

"You don't have to continue if you don't want to," he said, though he really did want him to continue. Otacon lifted his head back up.

"No, you know what, I think I will continue. I haven't talked about this in a long time," he said. Snake shrugged.

"Well then, go ahead. I'll listen. If I've listened to you go on about Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask's relationship, I think I can handle your dating life," he said. Otacon took in a deep breath.

"Whew, alright. So. The worst part about that first date is that she actually did like me, but made the mistake of telling of her friend what happened and that friend told all of our classmates. So, when I saw her at school, she said she didn't want to see me again, and that everyone else knew I wet my pants when I had my first kiss," he said.

"Well, if she really did like you, she probably now lies awake in bed at night regretting that she didn't go on that second date with you simply because she gave into peer pressure," Snake reassured him. Otacon laughed.

"Yeah right. Anyway. I don't remember if this next one was my second or third date, but it wasn't too great either," he said.

"How so?" Snake asked.

"Well, it was a pity date," he said. Snake groaned.

"Oh, man, are you serious?" he said.

"Yep. With one of the hottest girls in school. I should have known it was too good to be true, but I was a little bit too amazed with the fact that one of the hottest girls in school wanted to go on a date with me," he said.

"Well, how did it go?" Snake asked.

"Badly. I took her bowling, and that went alright, but then when we went to my house I took her into my room. She asked me about all my Gundam Wing figures and I went on for way too long about them," he said. Snake shook his head.

"Awww, Otacon, no!" he said, laughing.

"Yep. I went on for so long that she interrupted me to tell me she had to leave, and called me the next day to explain to me that it was a pity date. She said she felt bad that people were picking on me and thought going on one date with me would make me feel better, but apparently I was unbearable to be around," he said. Snake grimaced.

"Oh, that… that's bad," he said. Otacon, again, laid his head on the table.

"They really just got worse from there," he said, "Got stood up a four times by the same girl, got threatened by an ex-boyfriend to stay away from his ex-girlfriend, got an elaborate letter in my locker explaining why this girl didn't want to date me, and one time I showed up at a girl's door and she literally just said 'ew' and closed the door on me," he said.

Snake stared at him for solid minute before uttering a single, quiet, "Wow".

"Yeah," Otacon replied, the side of his head resting flat on the table. Snake felt really bad for him. So much that he kind of wished he hadn't even asked.

"But what about that one guy you were talking about?" he asked before he could catch himself. Otacon groaned loudly.

"Oh, God, that was a mess. A mess!" he shouted, lifting his head and throwing his hands up. He brushed his hair back and sighed.

"Okay. So. During my senior year of high school, I started to develop a sort of… well, crush on one of my friends in my video game club. And he'd claimed before that he didn't have a problem with lesbians, so I assumed he was fine with gay men too. That made me feel more comfortable around him, being someone who, well, didn't really know what I was. And it didn't help that he was very handsome. But anyway, we hung out a lot over the summer and watched anime and played his N64. And then I really, really started to like him. Towards the end of the summer, I decided to tell him, since he was going to go off to college," he said, biting his bottom lip.

"Something tells me it didn't go well," Snake said. Otacon sighed.

"Yeah, it didn't. So, anyway, I suggested we go see a movie and then get dinner afterwards one evening, and we did. When we were at his house at the end of the night, I told him how I felt, and, well, he didn't take it well at all," he said. Snake frowned.

"Oh man," he said. Otacon nodded.

"Yeah. He called me a fag and told me to get out of his house and out of his life," he said. Snake gasped.

"What the hell? But he said he was okay with lesbians?" he asked.

"Yeah, turns out he was one of those guys who just liked the idea of girls making out," Otacon said, pushing up his glasses. Snake scoffed.

"Wow. What a douche," he said. Otacon started to giggle. Snake at first though he was about to cry and asked if he was okay.

"Oh no, I'm fine, it's just… I haven't heard the word 'douche' since high school. I don't know, it just sounds funny when you say it," he said, still giggling. Snake smiled, glad Otacon wasn't too upset.

"So you're telling me you haven't had a _single_ date you enjoyed?" Snake asked. Otacon sat back and thought about it.

"Hmm, honestly, no, I really haven't. That's okay though, getting a date isn't everything in life. I'm probably just not meant to enjoy dates. At least I have a good life, though, all things considered. I'm not dead yet," he said, shrugging. Snake was silent for a second.

"You know what? We're both taking the day off. Come on," he said, getting up.

"Come what?" Otacon asked. Snake walked to the sink and put his plate up.

"We're going out!" he said. Otacon rolled his eyes.

"Snake, it's 8 in the morning. This isn't exactly 'going out' time," he said. Snake shook his head.

"No I mean, we're going on a date, kind of," he said. Otacon laughed.

"I'm sorry, what? Are you okay Snake?" he said.

"Oh come on, I'm not saying I'm into you or anything, I just want you to have a nice day with another human being for once," he said. Otacon raised his eyebrows.

"Well, okay, what do you want to do?" he asked. Snake shrugged.

"Whatever you want," he said. Otacon got up.

"Okay! Think we could finally go by that comic store on 39th? I heard they've restocked some Sailor Moon and Fullmetal Alchemist volumes," he asked. Snake tried his best not to roll his eyes.

"Yeah, we can do that," he said. Otacon smiled.

"Ooh, great!" he said, heading towards his room. Snake sighed. This was going to be a really nerdy day.


End file.
